The male crew reportedly suffered a heart attack when he was preparing a tank on the set and someone noticed that there was no bubble surfacing from the gear.
- Sep 22, 2012
AceShowbiz - An incident that claimed the life of a crew member happened on the set of Gore Verbinski's Western film "The Lone Ranger". A male crew was found dead on Friday morning, September 21 after drowning in a tank on the Johnny Depp-starring movie set in Los Angeles.
According to TMZ, the man was preparing the tank, possibly cleaning it, when someone noticed that there was no bubble surfacing from the gear. He was quickly pulled out of the water. It was said that someone called 911 to report a medical emergency and when the medics arrived on the scene, they discovered that the man was in "full cardiac arrest."
The filming was postponed on Friday following the incident. The man who was found drowning was later admitted to a nearby hospital via helicopter, but EMTs were unable to restart his heart on the flight. He was eventually pronounced dead at the hospital.
Law enforcement claimed that the cause of the dead appeared to be "a heart attack," and investigators were treating the case as "a natural death." An autopsy for the man is expected to be completed over the weekend.
Regarding the accident, Walt Disney Pictures representative issued a statement, saying, "We regretfully confirm that a Lone Ranger crew member has passed away after being taken to a local hospital." The rep added, "Our full support is behind the investigation into the circumstances of this terrible event."
"The Lone Ranger" follows native American spirit warrior Tonto (Depp) who recounts the untold tales that transformed John Reid (Armie Hammer), a man of the law, into a legend of justice-taking. The two unlikely heroes must learn to work together and fight against greed and corruption.
The film will reunite Depp with Gore Verbinski, who helmed the "Pirates of the Caribbean" film series. Also lining up in the cast ensemble are William Fichtner as Butch Cavendish, Ruth Wilson as Rebecca Reid, James Badge Dale as Dan Reid, and Tom Wilkinson as Latham Cole.
The Western film will be released in the U.S. on July 3, 2013.
